JP2006072519A - Information processor, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase efficiency in setting for restricting the change extent of size of a container in a device which changes the layout of a container dynamically with inflow data. <P>SOLUTION: Size restriction information on the container is set in an information processor which creates a document by flowing content data into a plurality of containers, and controlling the layout according to the content data under control conditions. Further, improvement of user's convenience is made possible by making the size restriction information on the container associated in accordance with the setting set automatically. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention generates content by flowing content data into a plurality of containers (data areas) on a document and controlling the layout of the container under predetermined control conditions according to the content data. In particular, the present invention relates to display processing of the control conditions.

  In recent years, CRM (Customer Relationship Management), One-- The need for to-one marketing is drawing attention. These methods are very effective for the purpose of increasing customer satisfaction and aiming to develop and lock in customers.

  One-to-one marketing is a type of database marketing. Personal attribute information such as customer's age, gender, hobbies, preferences, purchase history, etc. is compiled into a database, and the contents are analyzed before making proposals that meet customer needs. A variable print is a typical technique. Recently, with the advancement of DTP (desktop publishing) technology and the spread of digital printing devices, a variable print system has been developed to customize and output documents for each customer and optimally lay out different amounts of content for each customer. It is becoming necessary to do.

  In general, when creating such a customized document in a variable print system, a container is laid out on the document. A container is one of objects and is a rectangular partial area for drawing contents (drawing contents) stored in a database (sometimes called a field area).

  According to such a variable print system, after such a container is laid out on a document, a customized document (document) is created by associating the database with the container (associating each content of the database with each container). Can do.

  However, in the case of a variable print system, the size of the container into which text and images are poured is fixed, so when the data constituting each content in the database is poured into the container, the content is larger than the container size. There is an overflow in which a part of data is lost, and there is a problem that a gap is left in the container when the content data amount is smaller than the container size.

  In order to solve such a problem, a system that dynamically changes the layout of the container depending on the content can be considered, and the above-described overflow or gap is determined by determining the container size according to the content data amount of the text data and the image data to be poured It is possible to solve problems such as

  Specifically, the container size is variable and the container size is increased according to the amount of content data to be inserted. In the case of text data, the font size in the container is changed. By making the layout variable by reducing the font size according to the amount of data to be flown, even if text data with a data amount that does not fit in the container is flown, Text data can be displayed.

The following Patent Document 1 is given as a layout system that realizes a part of the technique described above. In the following Patent Document 1, characters are input into a container, and when the amount of characters that cannot be stored in a container of a preset size is input, the container size is increased according to the input of characters. A technique is disclosed in which the size of an adjacent container is reduced in accordance with the enlargement.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-129658 (0049, FIG. 8)

  However, in the layout system described above, the container is enlarged in accordance with an increase in the amount of text data input into the container, and the size of the adjacent container is reduced in accordance with the enlargement. A container into which text is input continues to be enlarged as long as the input continues, and the adjacent container continues to reduce in accordance with the enlargement, so a balanced layout cannot be realized. Furthermore, the layout system does not assume variable printing, and it is not considered that content is poured into each container.

  In addition, as a layout method considering variable data printing, there is a method in which a fixed container is created and content data is poured therein. However, when using a fixed-size container, if content data of a size larger than the container size is poured in, an overflow occurs, or if the font size is reduced and forced to flow, the font size becomes extremely small. The problem of becoming will arise.

  Therefore, as a layout method for solving the above problem, a layout method considering a size balance between a plurality of associated variable containers can be considered. As a result, the size of each container is changed according to the size of the content data flowing into each container, and the container size balance is adjusted by adjusting the amount of change in each container size between the associated containers. Can be obtained in consideration of the layout.

  However, in the above layout method, the size of each container is dynamically changed based on the content data to be inserted and the associated container, so it is necessary to set size restriction information which is a change range of the container. However, since the generally conceivable setting method sets the size for each container using numerical values, it is impossible to visually grasp the change range of the container size set for each container, and the layout result is It cannot be determined whether or not the set change range is appropriate until it is displayed.

  Furthermore, since the above-mentioned one-to-one marketing creates catalogs and pamphlets in accordance with customer needs, it is necessary for some customers to post a large amount of information, and the number of containers into which content data is poured may increase. is there. At that time, if the size limit information of each container is manually set as a numerical value, the setting operation takes time and there is a problem that it is not convenient for the user.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems. By flowing data into a plurality of containers on a document and controlling the layout of the container under predetermined control conditions according to the data, In the information processing device that generates the size, by operating the size limit information of the displayed container, set the appropriate size limit information, let the user visually recognize the change range, easily the appropriate size limit information The purpose is to set.

  In addition, based on the size limit information set for the selected container, the size limit information of the container associated with the selected container is set, thereby making the setting work more efficient and improving the convenience for the user. It is a further purpose.

In order to solve the above problems, an information processing method according to the present invention has the following configuration. That is,
Control means for controlling the layout of the data area when content data is poured into a plurality of data areas arranged on the document based on size restriction information that is a range of size change set in the data area. An information processing method for setting information related to size restriction information of the data area in the information processing apparatus,
A first display step for displaying a data area arranged on the document;
A second display step for displaying size limit information set in the data region selected from the data region displayed in the first display step, and a change for changing the size limit information displayed in the second display step Process,
Setting the size limit information changed by the change step as size limit information for the selected data area,
Furthermore, the second display step displays a changing process of the size restriction information of the selected data area that is changed according to the changing step.

Or in order to solve the above-mentioned subject, other information processing methods concerning the present invention are provided with the following composition. That is,
Control means for controlling the layout of the data area when content data is poured into a plurality of data areas arranged on the document based on size restriction information that is a range of size change set in the data area. An information processing method for setting a reference value of the data area in an information processing apparatus,
A first display step for displaying a data area arranged on the document;
When the reference value of the data area selected from the data area displayed by the first display step is changed, the reference of the data area associated with the selected data area based on the change of the reference value A reference value changing process for changing the value;
A reference value display step for displaying the reference value changed by the reference value changing step.

  According to the present invention, content data is poured into a plurality of containers (data areas) on a document, and the layout of the container is controlled under a predetermined control condition according to the content data, thereby generating a document. In the information processing apparatus that performs the above, by setting and displaying appropriate size limit information by operating the size limit information set in the container, the change range of the container can be recognized by the user, and the appropriate It is possible to set various size limit information.

  In addition, based on the size restriction information set for the selected container, the size of the container associated with the selected container is automatically set, thereby making the setting work more efficient and improving user convenience. It becomes possible to improve.

  First, an outline of the present embodiment will be described. In general, document creation in an automatic layout system can be divided into layout editing processing and automatic layout processing. The former is a process to set the control condition of how to control the layout of the container when the container is placed on the document and the data is flowed, and the latter is set by setting the control condition. This is a process for generating a document by controlling the layout according to the inserted data based on the control conditions.

  Among these, in the host computer (information processing apparatus) according to each of the following embodiments constituting the automatic layout system, an expansion or reduction range of the size limit information of the container which is one of the setting items of the control condition in the layout editing process The setting operation is efficiently performed by automatically performing the setting for limiting the above. Specifically, when the maximum value, minimum value, or reference value of a container that is associated with a predetermined container via a link is manually set, the minimum value, maximum value, or reference value of the predetermined container is automatically set. Calculated and set. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings as necessary.

[First Embodiment]
1. Configuration Example of Automatic Layout System First, a configuration of an automatic layout system including a host computer (information processing apparatus) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B. FIG. 1A is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the automatic layout system 100. FIG. 1B is a block diagram showing in more detail the configuration of the host computer (information processing apparatus) 101 shown in FIG. 1A.

  The layout editing process and the automatic layout process described in the present embodiment are executed by the host computer 101 (configured by a general-purpose computer module). The layout editing application program 121 that can be executed on the automatic layout system 100 is executed entirely or partially by the host computer 101, thereby realizing the layout editing process and the automatic layout process.

  The layout editing application program 121 is stored in a computer-readable medium, loaded from the computer-readable medium into the memory 136 of the host computer 101, and executed. A computer readable medium storing such software or computer program is a computer program product. By using the computer program product in a computer, an apparatus suitable for creating a document and printing the created document is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, a keyboard 132 and a pointing device such as a mouse 133 are connected as input devices to the host computer 101 via an input / output interface 143. Further, a display device 144 as an output device is connected via a video interface 137. Furthermore, a local printer 145 or the like can be connected via the input / output interface 138. The input / output interface 138 also has a function of connecting the computer module 101 to the network 107. As a result, the host computer 101 can be connected to other computer devices (database server 117, file server 115, print server 119, etc.) via the network. Typical examples of the network 107 include a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN).

  As shown in FIG. 1B, the host computer 101 includes at least one processor unit 135, for example, a memory unit 136 composed of a semiconductor random access memory (RAM) or a read only memory (ROM). The storage device 139 includes a hard disk drive 140 and a floppy (registered trademark) disk drive 141 that can exchange data with a computer-readable medium that stores programs and the like. Although not shown in FIG. 1B, a magnetic tape drive or the like can also be used as the storage device 139. The CD-ROM drive 142 is provided as a non-volatile data source (of course, a computer program may be provided by a CD-ROM).

  The host computer 101 is an operating system such as GNU / LINUX or Microsoft Windows (registered trademark), or a computer system typically formed in accordance with the operating system or known in related technology. The components 135 to 143 of the computer module 101 that communicate via the interconnection bus 134 are used in a conventional manner of operation mode. That is, the above-described components indicated by 135 to 143 are communicably connected via the bus 134 and are used by an operating system installed in the host computer 101.

  As an example of the host computer 101 shown in FIG. 1B, an IBM compatible PC, SUN Sparcstation, or a computer system including them can be considered.

  In this embodiment, it is assumed that the layout editing application program 121 resides in the hard disk drive 140 and is controlled by the processor 135 for execution and reading. Note that data fetched from the intermediate storage device of the layout editing application program 121 and the network 107 uses the semiconductor memory 136 in response to the hard disk drive 140.

  In one example, the encoded program of the layout editing application 121 is stored on a CD-ROM or floppy (registered trademark) disk, read through the corresponding drive 142 or 141, and installed in the hard disk drive 140. Alternatively, the layout editing application program 121 may be read from the network 107 into the host computer 101 and installed in the hard disk drive B 140 as another example.

  In addition, the software can be on a magnetic tape or ROM or integrated circuit, a magneto-optical disk, or a wireless communication such as infrared between the host computer 101 and other devices, a computer readable card such as a PCMCIA card, and an email communication or WEB site. It may be loaded into the host computer 101 from another appropriate computer including the Internet or an intranet having the recorded information. These are examples of computer readable media and it will be appreciated that other computer readable media may be used.

  In FIG. 1A, a layout editing application 121 causes a computer to perform automatic layout processing and layout editing processing, and includes two software components, that is, a layout engine 105 and a user interface 103.

  The layout engine 105 reads data in document units from the data stored in the database 119 in accordance with the size and position settings given to the container which is a rectangular partial area, and from the read data and the container settings, It is a software component that performs automatic layout processing that calculates the size, position, etc. of containers into which read data is flowed. In the present embodiment, the layout engine 105 also performs processing for drawing data assigned to the container and generating an image of the document. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the layout engine 105 operates as an application for determining the size and position of each partial area (container), and outputs the drawing information to a printer driver (not shown), so that the printer driver May perform image drawing processing of a document to generate print data.

  On the other hand, the user interface 103 enables layout editing processing by the user. Specifically, the user creates and moves a container via the user interface 103 to create a document template. It also provides a mechanism for associating data with each container in the document template. Furthermore, various settings (including link settings) for each container in the document template are made possible. The user interface 103 and the layout engine 105 communicate via a communication channel 123.

2. Other System Configuration Example FIG. 2 is a block diagram similar to FIG. 1A, except that an engine server 227 is added. The layout engine 225 stored in the engine server 227 is a separated version of the layout engine 105. A general computer is used for the engine server 227. The layout engine 225 combines the document template stored in the file server 115 and the data stored in the database 119 in order to generate a document according to printing or other purposes. Such an operation is requested via the user interface 103.

3. Description of Layout Editing Application (Layout Editing Process) Details of the layout editing process realized through the user interface 103 in the layout editing application 121 will be described below.

3-1. Main Window The user interface 103 causes the video display 144 to display a user interface screen formed by the application window 301 as shown in FIG. This window 301 has a menu bar 302, a tool bar 303, a work area 306, and an optional palette 311. The menu bar 302 and the tool bar 303 can be hidden or moved to various places on the screen. The work area 306 can be moved by operating the mouse 133. A palette 311 is an option, and a cursor / pointer device 313 represents a position pointed to by the mouse 133.

  The menu bar 302 has a number of menu items 304 that extend below the menu options hierarchy, as is known in the art.

  The toolbar 303 and the tool button 305 are widgets that can be hidden or displayed according to a special mode of the application.

  Ruler 308 is optional and is used to indicate the position of pointers, pages, lines, margin guides, and containers within the work area.

  The palette 311 has a window control 312 for moving, resizing, and closing. The palette 311 is optional and is displayed in front of the work area or hidden behind the container. The palette 311 can be displayed only within the range of the application window 301, or a part or the whole of the palette 311 can be displayed outside the application window 301.

  The tool bar 303 has user-selectable “tool buttons” as shown in FIG.

  (1) Selection tool button 403: Used for selecting, moving, resizing, resizing, and locking / unlocking a container edge. Container selection is done by dragging a selection box around the container. Further, a plurality of containers can be selected by performing a selection operation on the plurality of containers while pressing the CTRL key.

  (2) Text container tool button 404: used to create a container having fixed or variable text.

  (3) Image container tool button 405: used to create a container having a fixed or variable image.

  (4) Link tool button 406: used to create a link for associating containers, and also used to control the distance of the link.

3-2 Document Template In FIG. 3, a work area 306 is used to display / edit the design of the document template 309. This allows the user to design an overview of the document to be printed with preparation.

  The work area 306 includes a scroll bar 307, an optional ruler 308, and a document template 309. The document template 309 can indicate that there are a plurality of pages.

  The page size of the given document template 309 is designated by the user. The actual number of pages in each document varies depending on the amount of data to be inserted, and additional pages are automatically created when it cannot fit within one page.

  A border 310 within each page is an arbitrary page margin that indicates the maximum width of a printable container on the page.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of a container that can be displayed on a one-page document template 309, which includes a plurality of containers 407 and 408, an anchor icon 409 and a link 412 that are arbitrarily applied, and a slider 413.

3-3 Container Here, the container will be described. A container is a rectangular partial area in which fixed or variable text / image data is poured from a data source into a document template 309 and is drawn. As shown in FIG. Be placed. The container is moved, adjusted in size, and recreated in accordance with an operation instruction from the user via the user interface screen. The following is the definition of containers in this embodiment.

  (1) A container is associated with fixed or variable content. The variable content can be said to be dynamic in the sense that the data acquired from the data source may be different for each document, that is, for each record. However, the variable content of the present embodiment is not intended to be animated or content that changes with time in another way. Similarly, fixed content is laid out in the same way for all documents generated using containers. However, when the variable content and the link are set, the fixed content is laid out at a different position for each document under the influence of the variable content.

  (2) The container has a decoration function similar to the text setting such as the background color, border, font style applied to the content. Such a setting is called a container attribute. The container attribute can be set for each container, but it is also possible to set the same container attribute as a certain container.

  (3) The container is merged with data from the data source when generating the document. The decoration function is visible in the printed output, as is any fixed content. Variable content can print specific data from a data source or be displayed on the screen of a video display 144.

  (4) The container has a user interface as a visual clue as shown in FIG. For example, it has an interactive graphical user interface (GUI) for container editing and display settings. Each element of the GUI is displayed on the screen of the video display 144, but is not printed as a document. The user interface 103 of the layout editing application 121 displays some container decoration functions such as background color and font, and further has a function for enabling the setting and display of the container.

3-4 Container Restrictions Containers have restrictions on control conditions for how to link the contents displayed in each document. These constraints (including linking fixed / variable content with containers) are the primary way for users to control multiple documents from a single document template. One example of a constraint is “the content height of this container is a maximum of 4 inches”. Another example of the constraint is “the left edge of the contents of the container must be displayed at the same horizontal position in each document”. The contents described here are displayed and edited using a GUI.

  Content placeholders that specify the placement of fixed content so that the image has a defined location on the page are well known in digital printing technology. Containers have a position and a size, which are edited and displayed in a manner known in the art. Therefore, the following description focuses on display / editing in a method specialized for variable data printing.

  By using the container, the user can specify the size (drawing size) and position of the content in the document. Since many types of documents are generated from a single document template, many constraints are set on the container. A predetermined user interface is used for setting (designating) and displaying these.

  An edge of one container defines a virtual border where the associated content is displayed in the document. Thus, discussing the left side of the container is the same as discussing the leftmost side in the area where the associated content is displayable in each document. Similarly, discussing container height is understood as discussing content height constraints associated with the generated document.

  In the following description, “fixed” used to limit the display of content means that a certain value is defined, and the same value is used in all documents.

  (1) When the width of the container is fixed, the width assigned to the associated content is the same for all documents.

  (2) If the height of the container is fixed, the height assigned to the associated content is the same for all documents.

  (3) When the distance (link length) is fixed, the specified distance becomes a constraint in all documents.

  (4) When the left and right sides of the container are fixed, it means that the horizontal position of the side regarding the page is the same in all documents. However, the height or vertical position of the container may change. For example, if the left side of a container is fixed, the display position of the associated content is the same horizontal position in all documents, but in some documents it is displayed at the top of the page, In the document, it may appear at the bottom of the page.

  (5) When the upper and lower sides of the container are fixed, it means that the vertical position of the side on the page is the same for all documents. However, the width or horizontal position of the container may vary from document to document.

  (6) The vertical axis of the container is a virtual vertical line that is parallel to the right side and the left side of the container and located between them. If the vertical axis of the container is fixed, the average horizontal position of the left and right sides of the container (ie, the left and right center position) is the same for all documents. Under this constraint, the width of the container can change. However, the vertical axis is the same horizontal position in all documents, with the left and right sides being the furthest to the closest to the vertical axis. Note that the height and vertical position of the container are not affected by this restriction.

  (7) Similarly, if the horizontal axis is fixed, the average of the upper and lower sides of the container is placed at the same vertical position. However, the width and horizontal position of the container are not affected by this restriction.

  (8) When both the horizontal axis and the vertical axis are fixed, it means that the center position of the container is fixed. However, the width and height of the container are not affected by this restriction.

  (9) When the corner position of the container, the intermediate position of the container side, or the center position of the container is fixed, the respective positions are the same in all documents. For example, if the upper left corner of the container is fixed, it means that the upper left position of the arranged container is the same for all documents.

  (10) The vertical side or the vertical axis can be fixed in association with the left or right side of the page, the left page margin or the right page margin, or another horizontal position. Similarly, the horizontal side or horizontal axis can be fixed in association with the top or bottom side of the page, the top and bottom page margins, or other vertical positions.

  The opposite of “fixed” is “variable” meaning that the side, axis, corner, intermediate position, or document constraint of the container changes between documents (between records). For example, in a page, the layout is dynamically changed depending on the size and amount of variable data, but for a specific container, the size and position are fixed, and the four corners of the container at the corner of the page are fixed. Sometimes you want to do that. For this reason, the layout editing application 121 can appropriately set whether the sides, axes, corners, intermediate positions, etc. are fixed or variable for each container (data area). As a result, the user can create a basic layout as desired by the user in determining the basic layout of the document template 309.

3-5 Method for Creating a New Container As shown in FIG. 4, a new text data container or image data container is clicked on the text container tool button 404 or the image container tool button 405 with the mouse 133, and the document template 309 is selected. It is created on the document template 309 by dragging a rectangle upward.

  Alternatively, the container may be created by simply clicking on the document template 309 after activating the appropriate tool buttons 404, 405. In this case, a default size container is inserted on the document template 309 in response to a click operation of the mouse 133, and a dialog box or other prompt for setting the dimensions of the new container is provided. Note that the size of the container may be automatically defined in advance, or may be created and arranged according to a calculated schema, and various methods are conceivable. A container property dialog is displayed by selecting the generated container with an input device such as the mouse 133 and performing an operation such as instructing a property by right-clicking, and the constraints of the container can be set. Various kinds of constraints described above can be set in the container property dialog UI. In the container properties dialog, the size (width, height) and position of the container can be determined. To change the size, set the basic pattern (basic size and reference position) of the container. Set maximum container size (width, height) and minimum container size (width, height). Note that a size change range set for each container is used as size restriction information. The layout editing application 121 described above controls the layout of content data that is flowed into each container in consideration of this size restriction information.

3-6 Container Display Method FIGS. 5A to 5D illustrate display rules related to the sides of the container.

  The layout editing application program 121 represents a side by using a solid line (item 503) or a dotted line (504) in order to express the state of the side of the container, and an anchor (506, 507, 509 drawn near the side). Lines, shapes, icons as indicated by, handles (control points drawn on or near the side of the region to move and modify, 502), sliders (short parallel lines drawn on both sides of the side, diagram) 4 413), the enlargement / reduction icon (505), and color coding.

The rules for the container display method shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D are as follows.
(1) Draw with solid lines to fix each side.
(2) When the width is fixed, the left and right sides are drawn with solid lines.
(3) When the height is fixed, the upper and lower sides are drawn with solid lines.
(4) The axes are not drawn.
(5) An enlargement / reduction icon is drawn near each side not drawn by (1) to (3), and those sides are drawn by dotted lines.
(6) For each pair of vertical side and horizontal side, or vertical axis and horizontal axis, if both are fixed, an anchor is drawn at the intersection.
(7) For each fixed side, if no anchor is drawn anywhere on the side, a slider is drawn at the center of the edge.
(8) If anchors and sliders are not drawn on each pair of vertical and horizontal sides or vertical and horizontal axes, a handle is drawn at the intersection of them.

  The lines defined by the rules (1), (2), and (3) are drawn as solid lines because they are fixed or restricted as described above. As in rule (5), the variable side is drawn with a dotted line. Fixed points defined in rules (6), (7), and (8) display anchors, some fixed edges display sliders, and others display handles.

  The above rules are given priority over constraints set later by the user. That is, when another constraint is set later, if the above rule affects the side to be drawn, the drawn content of the solid line or the dotted line is changed.

  The place where the variable side is drawn depends on the content that is poured into the container. As will be described later, the “dynamic proofreading process” can be performed by merging the contents with the document template and displaying them on the user interface.

For these content representations, a graphical means for displaying the state of each side of the container is used. The interpretation of the expression is as follows.
(1) Like the side 410 in FIG. 4, the dotted line means that the position of the side in the document changes depending on the contents of the container.
(2) The solid line is limited because it is fixed (side 414) or the width and height of the container are fixed (in container 408, four sides are solid lines and both are fixed) Means an edge.
(3) The anchor means that the place where the side and the axis intersect is fixed. Therefore, the anchor point appears at the horizontal and vertical positions of all documents. The anchor is naturally fixed. The icon 409 in FIG. 4 is an example of an anchor icon that means that the position where the sides 414 intersect is fixed.
(4) The slider means that the associated side has a fixed length but moves in parallel. For example, in FIG. 4, the slider 413 displays the contents of the container 408 to the left or right of the position represented by a specific diagram in the document. For example, when the image size or text size of the data to be flowed into the container 407 associated with the container 408 (linked) is small, the size of the container 407 is small, so the container 408 slides to the left. (Parallel movement) will be laid out and displayed. On the other hand, when the size of the container 407 increases, the container 408 is laid out by sliding in the right direction.

  Some or all of these icons / edges may or may not be drawn depending on which tool, which container is selected, highlighted or activated. Generally, the sides and icons of the container are not drawn on the printed matter because they are designs in the document template.

  As described above, the basic pattern settings of the basic value (basic size), minimum value, and maximum value of the size (width / height) of the container are displayed in a secondary dialog window.

  In FIG. 5A, the width and height of the container 501 are not fixed (variable). The fixed side 503 is represented by a solid line, and the variable side 504 is represented by a dotted line. The enlargement / reduction icon 505 indicates that the adjacent side 504 is variable. Other forms of indicators may be used instead or additionally.

  In FIG. 5B, the container 501 is variable in both width and height. An anchor icon 506 has been added to explicitly indicate that the corner positions of both intersecting sides 503 are fixed.

  In FIG. 5C, the container 501 shows a state in which both the width and height of the container are variable, and the container 501 spreads evenly around the center point as indicated by an arbitrary anchor icon 507. That is, the container 501 can be enlarged or reduced around the anchor icon 507. In this enlargement / reduction, the layout is adjusted so that the position of the anchor icon 507 always becomes the center point of the container 501.

  In FIG. 5D, the container 501 has a fixed upper side 508, but both width and height are variable. An anchor icon 509 positioned and shown at the center of the upper side 508 is fixed. The left and right sides (502) of the container 501 are enlarged / reduced around the vertical central axis (vertical axis) through the anchor icon 509.

3-7 Link The link indicates the relationship between containers. “Relation” indicates a distance between containers, and containers associated by a link are affected by each other's layout change and calculate a layout. What is indicated by 412 in FIG. 4 is a link. In this figure, containers 407 and 408 are associated with each other.

3-8 Link Setting Method Next, a link setting method for associating containers will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a link setting method. FIGS. 7A to 7C are diagrams illustrating an example of a UI at the time of link setting. A method for setting a link in a container will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, in order to set a link, containers (at least two) for setting a link are created (step S601). FIG. 7A shows two created containers (701, 702). Reference numerals 703 and 704 denote anchors, and 705 denotes a mouse pointer.

  In step S602, the link tool button 406 is selected, and in step S603, one container (here, container 701) for setting a link is selected by clicking with the mouse pointer 705.

  In step S604, a container 702 to be linked with the container 701 selected in step S603 is selected. Specifically, the mouse pointer 705 is moved and the container 702 is clicked. FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating a state from when the container 701 is clicked to when the container 702 is clicked. As shown in the figure, a line 706 connecting the position clicked in step S603 and the current position of the mouse pointer 705 is displayed.

  When the container 702 is selected in step S604, a link is displayed with the container 701 in step S605. FIG. 7C shows a state in which the link 707 is displayed when the container 702 is clicked.

  Since the link is set, the UI of the container is also automatically changed in step S606 (708 is a side automatically changed to a dotted line and indicates a variable side as described above). Note that the state of the side of the container has changed as shown in FIG. 7C because it is necessary to make the side of the container variable by setting the link. This is a process that is automatically performed to prevent the inconsistency that all sides are fixed. Reference numeral 709 is the same as 505 in FIG. 5 and is a sign visually indicating to the user the direction in which the container can be changed by setting a link. In the example of FIG. 7C, the right side of the left container and the left side of the right container are variably changed. However, this is an example, and the right container is changed to a setting having a slider indicated by 413 in FIG. It doesn't matter.

3-9 Setting a Link with Variable Length Next, a method for setting a link with a variable length will be described. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a UI for setting a variable link. In the state of FIG. 12, a container 1203 and a container 1204 exist on the document template 309. Each container includes an anchor icon 1201, an anchor icon 1202, a fixed side 1205, and a side 1206. A variable-size link 1209 is provided between the containers 1203 and 1204 and connects the containers 1203 and 1204. Since a link is set between the container 1203 and the container 1204, the right side 1207 and the left side 1208 are represented by dotted lines. For this reason, an indicator 1210 and an indicator 1211 are displayed in each container, indicating that the sides 1207 and 1208 are variable, respectively.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a dialog window 1401 for setting information on a link 1409 out of UIs for link setting. This dialog includes a title bar 1402, a tool button 1403, a button 1404 for opening / closing the dialog window, and an area 1409 for setting various information. In this dialog window, an alternative selection can be made as to whether the link type is a variable length (1407) link or a fixed length (1406) link. When the link type is variable, the minimum value (Min. Distance 1410), the maximum value (Max. Distance 1412), and the reference distance (Distance 1411) of the link length can be set. This setting is displayed when a link is set between two containers and then selected by an operation such as clicking the set link. Alternatively, immediately after setting a link, a dialog window 1401 regarding the link may be automatically displayed. Here, the reference distance 1411 of the distance between the containers is the length of the link used when the size of each container is not changed when data is flowed.

  FIG. 15 shows the result of automatic layout processing when a fixed-length link is used. For example, FIG. 12 shows a case where image data of different sizes are poured into the container 1203 and the container 1204. In this case, each container regards the data size as optimal, and the container 1203 is poured in the right direction to approach the frame 1504 (optimum container size) that becomes the image size of the poured image data. In order to approach the frame 1505 (optimum container size) that becomes the image size of the image data, the size is changed to the left. However, the container 1203 and the container 1204 cannot move the left side 1212 and the right side 1213 by the anchor 1201 and the anchor 1202, respectively. If the size is changed as described above, the interval between the two sides must be narrowed. However, a fixed-size link 1503 is set between containers, and the length is maintained at the time of layout calculation. Therefore, the sizes of the containers 1203 and 1204 are changed.

  As a result, the container 1203 and the container 1204 cannot secure the optimum size according to the aspect ratio of the data, and finally smaller than the optimum size (frame 1504, frame 1505) as shown in FIG. turn into. That is, since the size of the link 1503 is fixed, the containers 1203 and 1204 cannot achieve the optimum size (in FIG. 15, the range indicated by the thin dotted line in each container is the aspect ratio of the data).

  On the other hand, FIG. 16 shows a case where the link is made to have a variable size in the same state as FIG. 15, and a variable size link is set between the container 1203 and the container 1204. In this case, when the sizes of the container 1203 and the container 1204 are changed, the size of the container 1203 and the container 1204 can be made larger than the example of FIG. 15 by reducing the link length. As a result, it is possible to achieve an optimum size according to the data size of the data to be flowed, or to set a container frame closer to the data size of the data to be flowed (optimum size). FIG. 16 shows this result. As a result of the automatic layout process, the variable link 1209 is in a size state as indicated by the variable link 1603. In this case, each of the container 1203 and the container 1204 has an optimum size (a size suitable for the data size).

4). Description of Layout Editing Application (Automatic Layout Processing) Details of the automatic layout processing executed in the layout editing application 121 will be described below.

4-1 Layout calculation method (overall flow)
As described above, the layout editing application 121 according to the present embodiment creates containers by using the user interface 103 and creates layouts by using the layout editing process in which association (link setting) is performed between the containers and the layout engine 105. It can be divided into automatic layout processing that feeds each data of the data source. Further, the automatic layout processing includes a preview mode in which actual data is poured and a layout calculation on the display is performed in accordance with the above-described priority, and a print mode in which the layout calculation result is actually printed. The layout calculation in the preview mode and the print mode is the same.

  FIG. 8 shows a processing flow of automatic layout processing in the layout engine 105. First, in step S801, the preview mode is selected. When the preview mode is set, the layout editing application 121 causes the user to select a record to be previewed from the data source, and determines to flow each data of the selected record into each container (step S802). When the flow of data into each container is determined, the layout editing application 121 performs a calculation for laying out the record, and performs layout adjustment as necessary (step S803). Details of the layout calculation in step S803 will be described later. The layout editing application 121 displays the layout calculated in step S803 (step S804). The layout editing application 121 determines whether or not to perform preview display for other records based on a user instruction (step S805). If it is determined in step S805 that there is no need to perform preview display for other records, the preview mode is terminated (step S807). If preview display is performed for another record, the layout editing application 121 selects another record, performs layout calculation again, and performs preview display (step S806).

  In the print mode, not the preview mode, the layout is calculated in order for all the records to be printed. Accordingly, step S804 does not exist, and step S805 determines whether all records to be printed have been processed. The result of layout calculation in step S803 is rendered and generated as print data using a printer driver, and the print data is output to the printer. In this case, the process is terminated when the output of the print data is completed for all the records (all records designated to be printed).

4-2 Layout calculation method (details)
Next, details of layout calculation in step S803 will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a layout calculation method when the layout priority is not set according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a UI display example at that time. This figure is a flowchart for explaining only the layout calculation processing method, and corresponds to the layout calculation method in the print / preview mode of one record. In the case of multiple records, the following processing is repeated.

  First, the layout editing application 121 obtains a set of containers for calculating a layout (step S901). In the layout calculation, the containers with links set are calculated as one set. For example, referring to FIG. 11, four containers are laid out on the page, and a link is set for each container. In this case, containers A and B, and containers C and D are set as links. Therefore, containers A and B are set 1, and containers C and D are set 2. That is, the container group connected by the link is specified as one set. As described above, 1101 is an anchor, 1102 is a fixed side, 1103 is a controller, 1104 is an arrow indicating a change direction of a variable side, 1105 is a variable side, 1106 is a link, and 1107 is a slider. ing.

  Next, the layout editing application 121 selects one set of containers for calculating the layout from the set of containers obtained in step S901 (step S902). Then, the layout of the selected set of containers is calculated. First, for the two containers (A, B) that are variable elements included in the set of selected containers, the size when each container is not subject to any restrictions is calculated from the image size or text amount of the data to be inserted. . Specifically, the layout editing application 121 determines whether the container A is an image data container or a text data container. This determination can be made based on the container attribute set for the container as described above.

  Next, the layout editing application 121 reads the data to be flowed into the container A. When the container A is an image data container, the size (number of pixels of width, height, and resolution) of the image data is the container A. This is the size when not subject to the restrictions. If the container A is a text data container, the text data is also based on the number of characters and character attributes such as the font type, font size, character pitch, and line pitch specified by the container attribute of the container A. The amount of data to be poured into container A is calculated. Here, in the case of a text data container, the constraint is applied because the aspect ratio of container A cannot be determined without considering the constraint. In the example of FIG. 11, the container A has anchors set at the upper left and lower left corners, so the height (vertical direction) is fixed. Therefore, the layout editing application 121 determines whether or not characters of the calculated data amount (text amount) can be poured into the container A having the width (horizontal direction) set as the basic pattern of the container A.

  If it is determined that all can be poured, the size (width, height) of the container A is not changed in the basic pattern. If it is determined that all the containers cannot be poured, the container A has a fixed height due to the anchor setting, and thus extends in the horizontal direction. Here, the layout editing application 121 calculates the size of the container A by calculating how much the width of the container A can be filled with characters of the calculated data amount.

  Next, the layout editing application 121 optimizes the layout so that the size of the container to be laid out is as small as possible with the actual content size (step S903). Layout optimization is performed so that the difference between the size of the content that flows into each container and the size that is laid out is the same as much as possible in the container that is associated so that the size can be dynamically changed. Is called. The layout editing application 121 obtains the size of the set of containers calculated in step S902, that is, the total size of the container A, the container B, and the link 1106 (here, a fixed link), and the total size and the set of the container in the basic layout. (Which corresponds to the distance between the anchor icons of container A and container B in the example of FIG. 11). If the width of container A or container B is increased, a difference value is generated if it is calculated in the previous step. The layout editing application 121 adjusts the layout by equally distributing the difference value to each element of the set of containers.

  The layout editing application 121 optimizes the layout, and when the control condition is violated, the layout editing application 121 calculates so as not to violate the control condition again (step S904). The control conditions described here are restrictions set by the user at the time of layout creation, such as the variable range and position conditions of the container size, and the restriction on the change of the link length in the case of a variable link. If the layout is calculated so as not to violate the control conditions, the set layout is completed. Then, the processes in steps S902 to S904 are performed on all the sets on the page, and the layout editing application 121 calculates the layout of the entire page (step S905).

  10A to 10C are examples of UIs at the time of layout without setting priority.

  FIG. 10A shows a state in which data of a certain content is poured and a layout is determined. 1001 and 1002 are anchors, 1003 and 1004 are fixed sides, 1005 is a variable side, 1006 is an arrow indicating the change direction of the variable side, and 1008 is a link. In this state, the content is changed and content of a different size is poured. FIG. 10B shows the size of the new content superimposed on the state of FIG. Reference numeral 1009 denotes the size of content to be poured into each container. Then, layout calculation is performed. FIG. 10C shows the result of layout calculation. The size of each container after the layout calculation is calculated so that there is a difference equivalent to the size of the content that is actually flowed, and is calculated so as not to violate the control conditions described above. As shown in FIG. 10C, the content size (1009) shown in FIG. 10B and the content size after the layout calculation (1010) have the same difference.

  In FIG. 10, the size of each container after the layout calculation is calculated based on the size of the content that is actually flown. However, as a layout calculation method different from that in FIG. 10, the container size set by the user when creating the layout is used. The size of the container to be changed after the layout calculation is determined based on the variable range and position conditions, the size of the container preset by the user and the size of the content data to be loaded into the container. A layout calculation method is also conceivable in which the size of the container is changed so as to reduce the difference as much as possible from the reference value) and the size of the content to be inserted, and calculation is performed so as not to violate the above-described control conditions. As a simple example, there is a method of calculating so as to be an intermediate size between a preset container size and a content size poured into the container. In this way, by calculating the layout in consideration of the container reference value set by the user when setting the container, a layout reflecting the preset reference layout information and the size of the content to be inserted can be created. It is possible to prevent a layout that is far from the intention of the user from being automatically created.

5. Description of Automatic Container Minimum Value Setting Next, a container minimum value automatic setting function, which is a characteristic function of the layout editing application 121 included in the host computer 101 according to the present embodiment, will be described. This embodiment is effective when there is a restriction on the distance between the outsides of containers associated by links, or when a layout restriction is set for the document template. For example, layout is performed within one page as a layout restriction. Or, there may be mentioned a case where anchors that do not allow any further size change to the container are set in pairs as in 1001 and 1002 of FIG. As an example of the distance connecting the outer sides described above, in FIG. 12, the distance connecting the side 1212 of the container 1203 and the side 1213 of the container 1204 is the distance of the link set between the containers. Also included. When three or more containers are associated with each other, the distance connecting the outer sides of the containers arranged on the outermost side corresponds.

  FIG. 17A is a diagram illustrating an example of processing in the case of automatically setting size restriction information of a certain container. In the example of FIG. 17A, the container 1701 and the container 1702 are associated by a fixed link 1705. Further, the container 1701 and the container 1703 are associated by a variable link 1704.

  Here, it is assumed that the maximum value of the size restriction information of the container 1701 is set manually. First, the user sets to enter the size restriction information setting process. For example, the setting to be performed here may be to enter the size restriction information setting process by right-clicking with the desired container selected in the document template and selecting “size restriction information” from the displayed menu. Conceivable. In the example of FIG. 17A, the maximum value 1706 and the minimum value 1721 of the size limit information currently set for the container 1701 when the above-described “size limit information” is selected while the container 1701 is selected. Is displayed in a form that can be distinguished from the reference value 1722 of the container 1701. In FIG. 17A, it is indicated by a dotted line.

  When setting the maximum value of the selected container 1701, the user clicks and drags the dotted line 1706 indicating the currently displayed maximum value with the mouse 1710 as shown in the figure. At this time, since the maximum value of the dotted line 1706 changes the size in accordance with the movement of the mouse, the maximum value of the size restriction information of the container 1701 is set, and the process of changing the size restriction information by dragging the mouse is also performed. Is displayed. Further, for the associated containers 1702 and 1703, since the change in the maximum value 1706 of the container 1701 is selected, the minimum value 1707 of the container 1702 and the minimum value 1708 of the container 1703 are the maximum value 1706 of the container 1701. In accordance with the change, the layout size is calculated by the layout engine 105 for the minimum size, and dotted lines 1707 and 1708 are displayed. When the user stops dragging, the maximum value of the container 1701 is determined. Note that the size limit information here is a limit value of change range information for each container size.

  Here, depending on the user, the minimum value of the size restriction information of the associated containers 1702 and 1703 may be set according to the maximum value 1706 of the size restriction information of the container 1701. Conventionally, the change range of the size of the container 1702 and the container 1703 is generally set manually for each container. However, this takes time and the container 1701 increases to the maximum size, so it is not possible to visually determine how to set the minimum size of the containers 1702 and 1703. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the maximum value of the size restriction information of the selected container 1701 is set, the minimum value 1707 of the size restriction information of the associated container 1702 and the minimum value 1708 of the size restriction information of the container 1703 are set. The size is configured to be set automatically. Then, the maximum value and the minimum value of the size restriction information set at this time are displayed as 1706, 1707, and 1708 in FIG. 17A.

  In FIG. 17A, since a variable link is set as a link for associating the container 1701 and the container 1703, when the user sets the maximum size of the container 1701 with the mouse (the state of the container 1706), the variable link 1709 is the maximum. The minimum value 1708 is displayed on the assumption that the length is 1. This is because in order for the size of the container 1703 to be the minimum, the container size of the associated container 1701 is the maximum, and when the size of the variable link 1704 is also the maximum, the container 1703 has the minimum value. is there.

  FIG. 17B is a diagram showing an operation of the layout editing application program 121 after the maximum value of the size restriction information of the container 1701 is determined in FIG. 17A. When the maximum value of the size restriction information of the container 1701 is determined (when the movement of the mouse is stopped), a dialog 1711 is first displayed.

  If the “OK” button 1712 is pressed by the user, the minimum value of the size restriction information is automatically set for all related containers (1719). In the example of FIG. 17A, the minimum value 1707 of the size restriction information of the container 1702 and the minimum value 1708 of the size restriction information of the container 1703 are set.

  When the “select container” button 1714 is pressed by the user, a dialog 1716 is displayed. Here, related containers are displayed as a list 1717, and the user can select a container for automatically setting a minimum value. In the example of FIG. 17B, since the container 3 is checked by the user, the minimum value of the size restriction information of the container 1703 is automatically set. When the user presses an “OK” button 1718, a container for automatically setting a minimum value is determined. Thereby, the user can select only the container to be set automatically. The list display is an example, and when the “select container” button is pressed, the container may be directly selected from FIG. 17A.

  If the user presses the “according to priority” button 1715, the container in which the minimum value is automatically set is determined according to the priority of the container (1720). For example, in FIG. 17A, it is assumed that the following priorities are set in advance by the user.

(1) The container 1702 has a higher priority than the container 1701. (2) The container 1703 has a lower priority than the container 1701. In such a setting, only the container 1703 has size restriction information automatically. The minimum value is set. That is, when the maximum value of a container with a low priority is set, the minimum value is not automatically set for a container with a high priority. Thus, even when the user wants to set the size of the container in consideration of the priority order, the minimum value can be automatically set without being aware of the priority order.

  Next, the flow of the minimum value automatic setting process will be described with reference to FIGS. 18A and 18B. The following processing is performed by the processor 135 in the host computer based on the layout editing application program 121.

  First, in step S1801, the layout editing application program 121 determines whether or not the user has instructed to set the maximum value of the size limit information of a certain container.

  In the example of FIG. 17A, the size limit information 1706 and 1721 currently set in the container 1701 are displayed when the user instructs to set the size limit information of the container 1701. The reference value 1722 is displayed in advance. When 1706 is selected with the mouse, setting of the maximum value of the size restriction information of the container 1701 is selected.

  If YES is determined in step S1801, in step S1802, the layout engine 105 constituting the layout editing application 121 calculates and displays a layout in accordance with the change in the size limit information of the selected container. Further, the size limit information of the container associated with the selected container is also changed and displayed in accordance with the above change. In the example of FIG. 17A, the maximum value 1706 of the size restriction information of the container 1701 selected by the user is changed using the mouse, and the maximum value 1706 of the container 1701 is changed and displayed according to the change. . Also, the minimum value 1707 of the size restriction information of the container 1702 and the minimum value 1708 of the size restriction information of the container 1703 that are associated by the link are changed according to the change of the maximum value 1706 of the size restriction information of the container 1701. , 1707 and 1708 are displayed. At this time, if there is a variable link, the layout engine 105 calculates the layout using the maximum length of the variable link. This is for displaying the case where the size of the container associated by the variable link is minimized as shown above to the user and automatically setting the size as the minimum value.

  In step S1803, the layout editing application program 121 determines whether the maximum value has been determined. If no, the process proceeds to step S1802. Here, the maximum value of the size restriction information has been changed using the mouse in S1802, but the time when the movement of the mouse has ended may be determined as the determination of the maximum value, or the time when the mouse has been changed. A dialog such as “Do you want to determine the maximum value of container size restriction information?” Is displayed, and when “Yes” is selected, it may be determined that the maximum value has been determined.

  If “YES” is determined in the step S1803, the layout editing application program 121 displays a dialog 1711 for designating whether or not to set the minimum value of the related container size restriction information.

  In step S1805, the layout editing application program 121 determines whether the “OK” button 1712 has been pressed by the user.

  If YES is determined in step S1805, in step S1806, the layout engine 105 sets the minimum value of the size restriction information for all containers associated by the link. The minimum value is the size of the dotted line when YES is determined in step S1805. In the example of FIG. 17A, they are 1707 and 1708, respectively.

  If NO is determined in step S1805, in step S1807, the layout editing application program 121 determines whether the “select container” button 1714 has been pressed by the user.

  If “YES” is determined in the step S 1807, the layout editing application program 121 displays a “container selection” dialog 1716.

  In step S 1809, the layout editing application program 121 determines whether the user has pressed the “OK” button 1718 after selecting the container in the “select container” dialog 1716.

  If YES is determined in step S1809, the layout engine 105 sets a minimum value for the size limit information of the container selected in step S1809 in step S1810.

  If NO is determined in step S1807, the process proceeds to FIG. 18B. In step S1811, the layout editing application program 121 determines whether the user presses the “according to priority” button 1715.

  If YES is determined in step S1811, the layout engine 105 performs initialization processing of variables necessary for internal processing in step S1812. First, serial numbers are assigned to related containers. In the example of FIG. 17A, the container 1702 is assigned “1”, and the container 1703 is assigned “2”. Also, the variable X is initialized to 1.

  In step S1813, the layout engine 105 determines whether the priority of the Xth container is lower than the container for which the maximum value is set in step S1801.

  If YES is determined in step S1813, the layout engine 105 sets the minimum value of the size restriction information for the Xth container.

  Next, in step S1815, the layout engine 105 determines whether or not processing has been completed for all related containers.

  If NO is determined in step S1815, that is, if the priority is higher than the container for which the maximum value is set, 1 is added to the value of X in step S1816. This is to proceed to the next container process. Then, the process proceeds to step S1813.

  If YES is determined in step S1815, the layout engine 105 ends the process.

  As is clear from the above description, according to the present embodiment, the maximum value of the size limit information of the selected container can be set while being displayed, so that the user can easily set appropriate size limit information. In addition, the minimum value of the related container size limit information is automatically set, and even when a large number of containers are set on the document, the container size limit information is automatically set. As a result, the efficiency of the setting work is improved and the convenience of the user is improved.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, the case has been described in which, when the maximum value of the size limit information of a certain container is set, the minimum value of the size limit information of the related container is automatically set. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, a case will be described in which when the minimum value of the size limit information of a certain container is set, the maximum value of the size limit information of the related container is automatically set.

  FIG. 19A shows an example in which a minimum value of a certain container size is set. First, the user sets to enter the minimum value setting process. The setting performed here is the same as that described above, except that the minimum value of the displayed size restriction information is selected. In FIG. 19A, the minimum value 1721 of the size restriction information of the container 1701 is selected. Since setting of the minimum value of the size limit information of the selected container is selected, the maximum value of the size limit information of the associated container is displayed. In the example of FIG. 19A, the maximum value 1902 of the size restriction information of the container 1702 and the maximum value 1903 of the size restriction information of the container 1703 are displayed. In this case, when the minimum value 1721 of the container 1701 is changed using a mouse or the like, the maximum value of the size restriction information for the containers 1702 and 1703 is automatically changed according to the change. These change processes are also displayed.

  At this time, 1903 operates when the length of the variable link 1904 is minimum. This is for displaying the maximum value of the container 1703 and setting its size as the maximum value.

  FIG. 19B is a diagram showing the operation of the layout editing application program 121 after determining the minimum size of the container 1701 in FIG. 19A. When the minimum value of the size of the container 1701 is determined, a dialog 1905 is displayed first.

  Here, if the “OK” button 1906 is pressed by the user, the maximum value of the size restriction information is automatically set for all related containers (1913).

  When the “select container” button 1908 is pressed by the user, a dialog 1910 is displayed. Here, related containers are displayed as a list 1911, and the user can select a container for automatically setting a maximum value.

  If the user presses the “according to priority” button 1909, the container in which the maximum value is automatically set is determined according to the priority of the container (1914). That is, for the container associated with the container for which the minimum value is set, the maximum value setting is automatically set only for the container having a high priority.

  Next, the flow of the maximum value automatic setting process will be described with reference to FIGS. 20A and 20B. The following processing is performed by the processor 135 in the host computer based on the layout editing application program 121.

  First, in step S2001, the layout editing application program 121 determines whether or not the user has instructed to set the minimum value of the size limit information of a certain container.

  If YES is determined in step S2001, in step S2002, the layout engine 105 constituting the layout editing application program 121 calculates and displays a layout in accordance with the change in the size limit information of the selected container. Further, the maximum value of the size limit information of the container associated with the selected container is also changed according to the above change and displayed. In the example of FIG. 19A, the minimum value 1721 of the size restriction information of the container 1701 selected by the user is changed, and the maximum value 1902 and the container 1703 of the size restriction information of the container 1702 associated by the link are changed according to the change. The maximum value 1903 of the size restriction information is changed, and 1902 and 1903 are also changed and displayed according to the size change. If there is a variable link at this time, the layout engine 105 calculates the layout using the minimum length of the variable link.

  In step S2003, the layout editing application program 121 determines whether the minimum value is determined by the user. If no, the process proceeds to step S2002. Here, the size is changed using the mouse in S2002. However, it may be determined that the time when the change of the mouse is completed is determined as the minimum value, or the “container size” is determined when the change of the mouse is completed. When a dialog such as “Do you want to determine the minimum value of the restriction information?” Is displayed and “Yes” is selected, it may be determined that the minimum value has been determined.

  If “YES” is determined in the step S2003, the layout editing application program 121 displays a dialog 1905 for designating whether or not to set the maximum value of the related container size restriction information.

  In step S2005, the layout editing application program 121 determines whether the “OK” button 1906 has been pressed by the user.

  If YES is determined in step S2005, the layout engine 105 sets the maximum value of the size restriction information for all the containers associated by the link in step S2006. The maximum value is the size when YES is determined in step S2005. In the example of FIG. 19A, the sizes are 1902 and 1903.

  If it is determined NO in step S2005, the layout editing application program 121 determines in step S2007 whether the “select container” button 1908 has been pressed by the user.

  If YES is determined in step S2007, the layout editing application program 121 displays a “container selection” dialog 1910.

  Next, in step S2009, the layout editing application program 121 determines whether or not the user has pressed the “OK” button 1912 after selecting a container in the “select container” dialog 1910.

  If YES is determined in step S2009, the layout engine 105 sets a maximum value for the container selected in step S2009 in step S2010.

  If NO is determined in step S2007, the process proceeds to FIG. 20B. In step S2011, the layout editing application program 121 determines whether the user presses the “according to priority” button 1919.

  If YES is determined in step S2011, the layout engine 105 performs initialization processing of variables necessary for internal processing in step S2012. This step is equivalent to step S1812.

  In step S2013, the layout engine 105 determines whether the Xth container has a higher priority than the container whose minimum value has been changed in step S2001.

  If YES is determined in step S2013, the layout engine 105 sets a maximum value for the Xth container.

  In step S2015, the layout engine 105 determines whether the processing has been completed for all related containers. This process is equivalent to step S1815.

  When it is determined NO in step S2015, 1 is added to the value of X in step S2016. Then, the process proceeds to step S2013.

  If it is determined as YES in step S2015, the layout engine 105 ends the process.

  As is clear from the above description, according to the present embodiment, since the minimum value of the size limit information of the selected container can be set while being displayed, the user sets appropriate size limit information in preparation. In addition, the minimum value of the related container size limit information is automatically set, making the setting work more efficient, and even when many containers are set on the document, the container The size setting is automatically performed, and the convenience for the user is improved.

[Third Embodiment]
In the second embodiment, the case has been described in which the maximum value of the size limit information of a related container is automatically set when the minimum value of the size limit information of a certain container is set. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, a case will be described in which a reference value of a related container is automatically set when a reference value of a certain container (size at the time of container setting) is set.

  FIG. 21A shows an example of setting a reference value for a certain container. First, the user sets to enter the reference value setting process. The setting performed here is almost the same as the setting described above, except that a reference value is selected. In the example of FIG. 21A, the reference value 1722 of the container 1701 is selected. Since setting of the reference value of the selected container is selected, the reference value of the associated container is displayed. In the example of FIG. 21A, the reference value 2102 of the container 1702 and the reference value 2103 of the container 1703 are automatically changed and displayed according to the change of the reference value of the container 1701. Further, the above change process is also displayed. Note that reference numerals 2102 and 2103 in FIG. At this time, 2103 operates when the length of the variable link 2104 is a normal length.

  FIG. 21B is a diagram showing the operation of the layout editing application program 121 after the reference value of the container 1701 is determined in FIG. 21A. When the reference value of the container 1701 is determined, a dialog 2105 is displayed first.

  When the “OK” button 2106 is pressed by the user, the reference value is automatically set for all related containers (2113).

  When the “select container” button 2108 is pressed by the user, a dialog 2110 is displayed. Here, related containers are displayed as a list 2111, and the user can automatically select a container for setting a reference value.

  If the user presses the “according to priority” button 2109, the container in which the reference value is automatically set is determined according to the priority of the container (2114). That is, for the container associated with the container 1701 for which the reference value is set, the reference value setting is automatically set only for the container having a high priority.

  Next, the flow of the reference value automatic setting process will be described with reference to FIGS. 22A and 22B. The following processing is performed by the processor 135 in the host computer based on the layout editing application program 121.

  First, in step S2201, the layout editing application program 121 determines whether a reference value of a certain container has been set by the user.

  If YES is determined in step S2201, in step S2202, the layout engine 105 constituting the layout editing application 121 calculates and displays the layout according to the change of the reference value of the selected container. Further, the reference value of the container associated with the selected container is also changed according to the above change and displayed. In the example of FIG. 21A, the reference value 1722 of the container 1701 selected by the user is changed, and the reference value 2102 of the container 1702 and the reference value 2103 of the container 1703 associated by the link are changed according to the change. Will be displayed. If there is a variable link at this time, the layout engine 105 calculates a layout using the reference distance of the variable link.

  In step S2203, the layout editing application program 121 determines whether a reference value has been determined by the user. If NO, the process advances to step S2202. Here, the size is changed using the mouse in S2202, but it may be determined that the reference value is determined when the change of the mouse is completed. A dialog such as “Do you want to determine the value?” Is displayed, and when “Yes” is selected, it may be determined that the maximum value has been determined.

  If “YES” is determined in the step S2203, the layout editing application program 121 displays a dialog 2105 for designating whether or not to set the reference value of the related container.

  In step S2205, the layout editing application program 121 determines whether the “OK” button 2106 has been pressed by the user.

  If YES is determined in step S2205, the layout engine 105 sets a reference value for all containers associated by the link in step S2206. The reference value is the size when YES is determined in step S2204. In the example of FIG. 21A, the sizes are 2102 and 2103.

  If NO is determined in step S2205, the layout editing application program 121 determines in step S2207 whether the “select container” button 2108 has been pressed by the user.

  If “YES” is determined in the step S 2207, the layout editing application program 121 displays a “container selection” dialog 2110.

  In step S <b> 2209, the layout editing application program 121 determines whether the user has pressed the “OK” button 2112 after selecting a container in the “select container” dialog 2110.

  If YES is determined in step S2209, in step S2210, the layout engine 105 sets a reference value for the container selected in step S2209.

  If NO in step S2207, the layout editing application program 121 determines in step S2211 whether the user has pressed the “according to priority” button 2119.

  If YES is determined in the step S2211, the process proceeds to FIG. 22B, and the layout engine 105 performs an initialization process of variables necessary for the internal process in a step S2212. This step is equivalent to step S1812.

  In step S2213, the layout engine 105 determines whether the Xth container has a higher priority than the container whose reference value has been changed in step S2201.

  If YES is determined in step S2213, the layout engine 105 sets a reference value for the Xth container.

  In step S2215, the layout engine 105 determines whether the processing has been completed for all related containers. This process is equivalent to step S1815.

  If NO is determined in step S2215, 1 is added to the value of X in step S2216. Then, the process proceeds to step S2213.

  If YES is determined in step S2215, the layout engine 105 ends the process.

  As is clear from the above description, according to the present embodiment, this embodiment is effective when the reference layout initially set is changed when the layout calculation considering the reference layout as described above is performed. In addition, since the reference value of the associated container is set in association with the determination of the reference value of one container, the efficiency of the setting work is improved and the convenience for the user is improved.

[Fourth Embodiment]
In the first to third embodiments, a dialog is displayed when the maximum value or minimum value of the size limit information of a certain container or a reference value of a certain container is set, and the size of the related container is input by the user. The example in which the limit information or the reference value minimum value is automatically set has been described. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, an example will be described in which the user can select whether or not to display a dialog for automatic setting.

  In the first embodiment, when the user sets the maximum value of the size limit information of a certain container, a dialog 1711 for selecting whether to automatically set the minimum value of the size limit information of the related container is always displayed. It was. However, depending on the user, it may be troublesome for the dialog 1711 to be displayed without fail. The same applies to the dialog 1905 in the second embodiment and the dialog 2105 in the third embodiment.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the user can select whether the dialog 1711, 1905, or 2105 is displayed.

  The first method is a method of determining whether or not the size restriction information is determined while a specific key on the keyboard is pressed. For example, in the first embodiment, when the user determines the maximum value (stops dragging the mouse) in step S1803, the determination is made based on whether the determination is performed while the “Ctrl” key on the keyboard is pressed. That is, when the user decides while pressing the “Ctrl” key, a dialog 1711 is displayed. On the other hand, when the user determines the maximum value without pressing the “Ctrl” key, the dialog 1711 is not displayed, and the related container is not automatically set to the minimum value. Of course, it is not necessary to limit to the “Ctrl” key, and which key is assigned depends on the specification of the application. As a result, the user can display the dialog 1711 only when necessary, and the efficiency of setting the minimum value of the container is further increased. The same applies to the dialog 1905 of the second embodiment and the dialog 2105 of the third embodiment.

  As another method, it is conceivable that the user sets in advance in a dialog 2301 as shown in FIG. The dialog 2301 is displayed when the user designates from the menu 304, for example. The check box 2302 allows the user to specify whether or not to display the dialog 1711 when the maximum value of the size restriction information of a container is determined in the first embodiment. Similarly, the check box 2303 allows the user to specify whether or not to display the dialog 1905 when the minimum value of the size restriction information of a container is determined in the second embodiment. Similarly, the check box 2304 allows the user to specify whether or not to display the dialog 2105 when the reference value of a certain container is determined in the third embodiment.

  As is clear from the above description, according to the present embodiment, the size limit information (maximum value, minimum value, reference value) of the container associated with the selected container via the link is manually set. In this case, the user can select whether or not to display a dialog for automatically setting the size restriction information (minimum value, maximum value, reference value) of the selected container. When unnecessary, it is possible to save the user from having to close the dialog and to further improve the efficiency of the setting work.

[Other Embodiments]
Note that the present invention can be applied to a system including a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, and a printer), and a device (for example, a copying machine and a facsimile device) including a single device. You may apply to.

  Another object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium storing software program codes for implementing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus, and the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus stores the storage medium. Needless to say, this can also be achieved by reading and executing the program code stored in the.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

  As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD-R, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, or the like is used. be able to.

  Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an OS (operating system) operating on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by performing part or all of the actual processing and the processing is included.

  Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion is performed based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the CPU or the like provided in the board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the automatic layout system provided with the host computer concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the host computer concerning one Embodiment of this invention in detail. It is a figure which shows the structure of the automatic layout system provided with the host computer concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the main window of a layout edit application program. It is a figure which shows the main window of a layout edit application program. It is a figure explaining the display rule of a container. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of a link setting. It is a figure which shows an example of UI at the time of link setting. It is a flowchart which shows the automatic layout process by a layout engine. It is a flowchart which shows the automatic layout process by a layout engine. It is a figure for demonstrating an automatic layout process. It is a figure explaining the collection of containers at the time of automatic layout processing. It is a figure which shows the container arrangement | positioning by a variable link tool. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of a link setting. It is a figure which shows the setting dialog window of a link. It is a figure which shows the example of an automatic layout process result by a fixed link. It is a figure which shows the example of an automatic layout process result by a variable link. It is a figure which shows an example of the process in the case of automatically setting the minimum value of the size of a container in the host computer concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of a layout edit application program after determining the maximum value of the size of a container. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the automatic setting process of the minimum value of the size of the container in the host computer concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the automatic setting process of the minimum value of the size of the container in the host computer concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a process in the case of automatically setting the maximum value of the size of a container in the host computer concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of a layout edit application program after determining the minimum value of the size of a container. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the automatic setting process of the maximum value of the size of the container in the host computer concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the automatic setting process of the maximum value of the size of the container in the host computer concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the process in the case of automatically setting the reference value of a container in the host computer concerning the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement of a layout edit application program after determining the reference value of a container. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the automatic setting process of the reference value of the container in the host computer concerning the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the automatic setting process of the reference value of the container in the host computer concerning the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the setting dialog window in the host computer concerning the 4th Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

101 Host computer 103 User interface 105 Layout engine 119 Database 121 Layout editing application program 132 Keyboard 133 Mouse 143 I / O interface 144 Video display 301 Application window 303 Toolbar 313 Cursor / pointer 406 Link tool button 407, 408 Object 409 Anchor icon 410 Fixed Unconnected side 412 link

Claims (33)

Control means for controlling the layout of the data area when content data is poured into a plurality of data areas arranged on the document based on size restriction information that is a range of size change set in the data area. An information processing method for setting information related to size restriction information of the data area in the information processing apparatus,
A first display step for displaying a data area arranged on the document;
A second display step of displaying size restriction information set in a data region selected from the data region displayed in the first display step;
A change step of changing the size restriction information displayed by the second display step;
A setting step of setting the size restriction information changed by the changing step as the size restriction information for the selected data area;
Furthermore, a 2nd display process displays the change process of the size restriction information of the said selected data area changed according to the said change process, The information processing method characterized by the above-mentioned. The changing step includes
When the minimum value of the size restriction information included in the selected data area is changed, the maximum value of the size restriction information included in the data area associated with the selected data area based on the change in the minimum value Change
The second display step includes
The minimum value of the size restriction information included in the selected data area changed in the changing step and the maximum value of the size restriction information included in the associated data area are displayed. Information processing method. The changing step includes
When the maximum value of the size limit information included in the selected data area is changed, the minimum value of the size limit information included in the data area associated with the selected data area based on the change of the maximum value Change
The second display step includes
The maximum value of the size restriction information included in the selected data area changed in the changing step and the minimum value of the size restriction information included in the associated data area are displayed. Information processing method described in 1. The changing step includes
When the reference value of the size restriction information included in the selected data area is changed, the reference value of the data area associated with the selected data area is changed based on the change of the reference value,
The second display step includes
4. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the reference value of the selected data area changed in the changing step and the reference value of the associated data area are displayed. The control means controls the layout of the selected data area and the data area associated with the selected data area based on a preset priority,
5. The size change information of the associated data area is changed based on the change of the size limit information for the selected data area and the priority order in the changing step. Information processing method according to crab. Calculating information related to the size restriction information of the associated data area based on the size restriction information of the selected data area changed by the changing step, and the calculated size restriction information is used as the associated data area; A display step of displaying an acceptance screen for accepting an input as to whether or not to set,
The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the display step switches display or non-display of the reception screen based on a predetermined instruction. The changing step is effective when a restriction is set for a distance connecting the data areas arranged outside the associated data areas on the document. The information processing method according to claim 1. Control means for controlling the layout of the data area when content data is poured into a plurality of data areas arranged on the document based on size restriction information that is a range of size change set in the data area. An information processing method for setting a reference value of the data area in an information processing apparatus,
A first display step for displaying a data area arranged on the document;
When the reference value of the data area selected from the data area displayed by the first display step is changed, the reference of the data area associated with the selected data area based on the change of the reference value A reference value changing process for changing the value;
An information processing method comprising a reference value display step of displaying the reference value changed by the reference value changing step. When the minimum value of the size restriction information included in the selected data area is changed, the maximum value of the size restriction information included in the data area associated with the selected data area based on the change in the minimum value The information processing method according to claim 8, wherein the information processing method is changed. When the maximum value of the size limit information included in the selected data area is changed, the minimum value of the size limit information included in the data area associated with the selected data area based on the change of the maximum value The information processing method according to claim 8, wherein the information processing method is changed. The reference value changing step is effective when a restriction is set with respect to a distance connecting the data areas arranged on the outside in the associated data areas on the document. The information processing method according to claim 8. Control means for controlling the layout of the data area when content data is poured into a plurality of data areas arranged on the document based on size restriction information which is a range of size change set in the data area. An information processing apparatus,
First display means for displaying a data area arranged on the document;
Second display means for displaying size restriction information set in a data area selected from the data area displayed by the first display means;
Changing means for changing the size restriction information displayed by the second display means;
Setting means for setting the size restriction information changed by the changing means as size restriction information for the selected data area;
Further, the second display means displays a changing process of the size restriction information of the selected data area that is changed according to the changing means. The changing means is
When the minimum value of the size restriction information included in the selected data area is changed, the maximum value of the size restriction information included in the data area associated with the selected data area based on the change in the minimum value Change
The second display means includes
The minimum value of the size restriction information included in the selected data area changed by the changing unit and the maximum value of the size restriction information included in the associated data area are displayed. Information processing device. The changing means is
When the maximum value of the size limit information included in the selected data area is changed, the minimum value of the size limit information included in the data area associated with the selected data area based on the change of the maximum value Change
The second display means includes
14. The maximum value of the size restriction information included in the selected data area changed by the changing unit and the minimum value of the size restriction information included in the associated data area are displayed. The information processing apparatus described in 1. The changing means is
When the reference value of the size restriction information included in the selected data area is changed, the reference value of the data area associated with the selected data area is changed based on the change of the reference value,
The second display means includes
15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein a reference value of the selected data area changed by the changing means and a reference value of the associated data area are displayed. The control means controls the layout of the selected data area and the data area associated with the selected data area based on a preset priority,
16. The change means according to claim 12, wherein the change means changes the size limit information of the selected data area and changes the size limit information of the associated data area based on the priority order. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1. Calculating information related to the size restriction information of the associated data area based on the size restriction information of the selected data area changed by the changing means, and the calculated size restriction information is used as the associated data area; Display means for displaying an acceptance screen for accepting an input as to whether or not to set,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the display unit switches between displaying and hiding the reception screen based on a predetermined instruction. The changing means is effective when a restriction is set for a distance connecting each data area arranged outside the associated data area on the document. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12. Control means for controlling the layout of the data area when content data is poured into a plurality of data areas arranged on the document based on size restriction information that is a range of size change set in the data area. An information processing apparatus,
First display means for displaying a data area arranged on the document;
When the reference value of the data area selected from the data area displayed by the first display means is changed, the reference of the data area associated with the selected data area based on the change of the reference value A reference value changing means for changing the value;
An information processing apparatus comprising reference value display means for displaying a reference value changed by the reference value changing means. When the minimum value of the size restriction information included in the selected data area is changed, the maximum value of the size restriction information included in the data area associated with the selected data area based on the change in the minimum value The information processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the information processing apparatus is changed. When the maximum value of the size limit information included in the selected data area is changed, the minimum value of the size limit information included in the data area associated with the selected data area based on the change of the maximum value The information processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the information processing apparatus is changed. The reference value changing means is effective when a restriction is set with respect to a distance connecting the data areas arranged on the outside in the associated data areas on the document. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 19 to 21. Control means for controlling the layout of the data area when content data is poured into a plurality of data areas arranged on the document based on size restriction information that is a range of size change set in the data area. In an information processing apparatus, a program for causing a computer to execute an information processing method for setting information related to size restriction information of the data area,
The information processing method includes:
A first display step for displaying a data area arranged on the document;
A second display step of displaying size restriction information set in a data region selected from the data region displayed in the first display step;
A change step of changing the size restriction information displayed by the second display step;
A setting step of setting the size restriction information changed by the changing step as the size restriction information for the selected data area;
Furthermore, the second display step displays a changing process of the size restriction information of the selected data area that is changed according to the changing step. The changing step includes
When the minimum value of the size restriction information included in the selected data area is changed, the maximum value of the size restriction information included in the data area associated with the selected data area based on the change in the minimum value Change
The second display step includes
The minimum value of the size restriction information included in the selected data area changed in the changing step and the maximum value of the size restriction information included in the associated data area are displayed. Program. The changing step includes
When the maximum value of the size limit information included in the selected data area is changed, the minimum value of the size limit information included in the data area associated with the selected data area based on the change of the maximum value Change
The second display step includes
25. The maximum value of the size restriction information included in the selected data area changed in the changing step and the minimum value of the size restriction information included in the associated data area are displayed. The program described in. The changing step includes
When the reference value of the size restriction information included in the selected data area is changed, the reference value of the data area associated with the selected data area is changed based on the change of the reference value,
The second display step includes
The program according to any one of claims 23 to 25, wherein a reference value of the selected data area changed in the changing step and a reference value of the associated data area are displayed. The control means controls the layout of the selected data area and the data area associated with the selected data area based on a preset priority,
27. The size change information of the associated data area is changed based on the change of the size restriction information for the selected data area and the priority order in the changing step. The program described in Calculating information related to the size restriction information of the associated data area based on the size restriction information of the selected data area changed by the changing step, and the calculated size restriction information is used as the associated data area; A display step of displaying an acceptance screen for accepting an input as to whether or not to set,
The program according to any one of claims 23 to 27, wherein the display step switches display or non-display of the reception screen based on a predetermined instruction. The changing step is effective when a restriction is set for a distance connecting the data areas arranged outside the associated data areas on the document. The program according to any one of claims 23 to 28. Control means for controlling the layout of the data area when content data is poured into a plurality of data areas arranged on the document based on size restriction information that is a range of size change set in the data area. In an information processing apparatus, a program for causing a computer to execute an information processing method for setting a reference value of the data area,
The information processing method includes:
A first display step for displaying a data area arranged on the document;
When the reference value of the data area selected from the data area displayed by the first display step is changed, the reference of the data area associated with the selected data area based on the change of the reference value A reference value changing process for changing the value;
A program comprising a reference value display step for displaying the reference value changed by the reference value changing step. When the minimum value of the size restriction information included in the selected data area is changed, the maximum value of the size restriction information included in the data area associated with the selected data area based on the change in the minimum value The program according to claim 30, wherein the program is changed. When the maximum value of the size limit information included in the selected data area is changed, the minimum value of the size limit information included in the data area associated with the selected data area based on the change of the maximum value 32. The program according to claim 30, wherein the program is changed. The reference value changing step is effective when a restriction is set with respect to a distance connecting the data areas arranged on the outside in the associated data areas on the document. A program according to any one of claims 30 to 32.

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